Some recently developed cotton pickers roll and wrap cotton into a cylindrically-shaped module, hereafter referred to as a “round module.” This is done inside the picker as the cotton is picked in the field. A typical round module can measure 7 to 8 feet in diameter, 8 feet in length, and weigh about 7,000 pounds. Typically, the picking machine can store one wrapped module as it makes another. This enables the farmer to pick cotton for the second module without having to stop so that the previously wrapped module can be dropped off at the edge of the field. The new cotton pickers eliminate up to three pieces of equipment when compared to previous methods, and the labor to operate them. For example, the three pieces of equipment could be an old-style rectangular module builder, a bowl buggy and a tractor. Many cotton gins are not presently configured to process the new round modules.
Currently, feeders for cotton gins are supplied in three basic types: roller bed, moving chain and reciprocating slats. Typical roller bed and moving chain type feeders have beds that are 60 to 80 feet in length. The beds are often divided into three sections so that modules can be loaded on one end and caught up to any previously loaded modules. Sections of the bed are simply turned on and off as needed to butt modules end to end before entering the dispersing head of the cotton gin, which is located at the opposite end of the feeder bed from where the bales are loaded. The reciprocating slats type of feeder does not have the ability to catch-up modules, therefore trucks must unload modules by backing onto the moving floor. Trucks must butt modules together during the unloading for efficient ginning.
The present invention recognizes and addresses considerations of prior art constructions and methods.